


Ocean Dream

by Blue_Five



Category: Suits (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Merpeople, M/M, Merperson Mike, Mike has a secret, Moon, No fish tails, Webbed Hands, Webbed feet
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-28
Updated: 2017-07-20
Packaged: 2018-07-18 17:15:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 17,859
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7323886
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blue_Five/pseuds/Blue_Five
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Harvey Specter had the perfect life where everything went according to plan.  Then he met a young man unlike anyone he'd ever known.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I noticed no one had done a mermaid!Marvey fic (or at least I can't find it) so I thought maybe I'd give it a go. No tails in this one ... just a race of people that can breathe underwater and have other attributes. Love me some feedback on this one as it's a first for me.

It was perfect. The trees swayed slowly in the slight breeze as the sun set against a rose and indigo sky.  The moon would rise soon and stars would begin to dot the velvet.  Harvey Specter felt a thrill of anticipation of things to come.  His companion, Dana “Scottie” Scott, was upstairs preparing for dinner while Harvey waited patiently downstairs.  He toyed with the small jeweler’s box in his pocket.  It was time – beyond time, really – for his relationship with Scottie to move to the next level.  After nearly four years of being together, Harvey now looked forward, impatient to move out of the holding pattern he’d been in for a year and start a new phase in his life.

The timing was right. Scottie was in a good position to leave her current firm of Darby International which was headquartered in London.  When they’d come together, she’d been starting out, making a name for herself and moving up in the ranks with the US branch of Edward Darby’s firm.  She was within shouting distance of making partner which meant a decision had to be made and Harvey intended it to be that she stay in the States, ending the near constant travel that had put no little strain on their relationship.  Harvey felt that the moment had arrived and he planned to not only ask her to marry him but also to offer her a position with Pearson, Specter & Litt.  It made good business sense and after a conversation with Jessica Pearson, the founding partner, Harvey was sure that Scottie would welcome the opportunity to join them.

Harvey smiled to himself, almost giddy as he thought about the life he and Scottie would create together. While it was true they had drifted apart some during the last few months, Harvey still felt short of breath whenever he set eyes on Scottie’s dark hair, wide brown eyes and lovely pale skin.  They not only moved in the same waters professionally and socially; they looked good together.  Truly, Harvey felt they were a perfect match. 

Because he never failed to plan for the things he truly wanted, Harvey had spared no detail for this moment. Tonight, he would propose to Scottie and they would spend a week basking in their mutual love and planning their life.  Harvey made a mental note to thank Donna with something appropriately expensive for all the hours she’d put into arranging this little getaway.  Coordinating schedules, locating the perfect rental, timing everything including the week of the full moon … his assistant’s skill in executing his plans never failed to amaze him but this time Donna had outdone herself.

Harvey pulled his gaze away from the incredible island beach view and took in the wonder of a historic villa Donna had somehow managed to locate for them. Stone and timber made up the majority of the house walls with lovely clay tile on the lower floors while dark, mahogany floorboards creaked pleasantly upstairs.  The furnishings were nearly all antiques interspersed with modern conveniences that blended seamlessly into the décor.  After arriving late in the afternoon, they’d relaxed with a drink before Harvey announced reservations at a local restaurant touted to have the best in fine island cuisine.  Everything had been considered.

Harvey glanced at his watch. Their reservations were soon and he wanted to have the ring on Scottie’s finger before they ventured into public.  With a sigh, he took the narrow staircase to the second level.  As he neared the top, Harvey heard something that made him frown.  Scottie’s voice was coming from the main bedroom.  She sounded upset.  He moved slowly to the doorway, reluctant to hear the words and yet knowing he must.  Something in Harvey’s gut twisted as Scottie’s side of the conversation reached him.

“I was wrong … I was _so_ wrong.  Please forgive me … I don’t want him, I want you … please Darby, please!” Scottie’s voice was pleading, desperate.

Harvey pushed open the door to see Scottie sitting on the edge of the large four poster colonial bed set with a rich red coverlet and brilliant white ruffles. She gasped, almost dropping the ornate phone handset.  Harvey walked to her side and removed it with no resistance.  He lifted the set to his ear, feeling a stone growing in his chest that surely must crush him under its weight.

“Edward?”

A deep sigh came over the line. “Ah, Harvey.  I regret that matters have come to this point,” Edward Darby said in an annoyingly calm and crisp British accent.  “It’s unfortunate, but there truly is no need to continue the charade.  She has made her choice.”

Harvey’s grip on the phone tightened. “Has she?”  He shot a sideways glance at Scottie who turned away, her cheeks coloring brightly.  “Well, too bad she couldn’t have made up her fucking mind a week ago!” Harvey’s bark made Scottie jump but then she was on her feet with an angry look.  Clothes flew out of the dresser and closet into one of their shared suitcases.  Harvey berated his loss of temper and reined it in.  “Good luck, Darby.  You’re going to need it.”

With that, Harvey hung the phone up and turned to leave. The commotion behind him paused.  “That’s it?  That’s all you have to say?  You won’t even fight for me?”

“I don’t fight for things I don’t want,” Harvey replied flatly before closing the door behind him.

* * *

It had been perfect. The perfect location, the perfect ring, and the perfect night – all variables accounted for except the fact that his soon-to-be fiancée had apparently been sleeping with her boss for the better part of four months.  Harvey looked at the untouched scotch in his tumbler, silently grateful that Donna had asked no questions when he called to have her arrange Scottie’s trip to London.  He looked at the jeweler’s box and popped it open.

Seated in deep blue velvet was an infinity twist diamond ring with a lovely square cut stone as the centerpiece – unique but still classic. Perfect.  Harvey got up and walked out into the sand.  The moon shown brilliantly on the water.  Harvey stood and watched the waves for a long time before cocking his arm back and letting the box sail out in a perfect throw.  It bounced along the surface before disappearing with barely a splash.  He watched the place where the ring had landed for an even longer time.  The sea ebbed over it, erasing any evidence.  Harvey wished his emotions could be so easily covered over.  He walked back to the house, pausing only to pick up his tumbler and the bottle of scotch.  If the sea wouldn’t erase his memories and the pain, then perhaps Macallan would act as a reasonable substitute.

* * *

Long after Harvey had slipped into a drunken sleep on the deck, a young man surfaced far out in the emerald-black water. Had the lawyer been conscious, he would have seen the man turning the box in one hand, letting the moonlight ripple through the perfect gemstones set into the ring.  A faint appreciative smile played across the swimmer’s features.  Then his eyes seemed to glow as he frowned at the ring and then at the house.  He looked up at the moon as if listening to something.  With a determined nod, the young man swam closer to the shore, found his feet and walked out of the water.  He wobbled for a moment or two but gradually his stride became stronger and less unsteady.  Had anyone been watching, they would have seen a naked man march across the cool sand to the deck to stand looking down at Harvey Specter.  A naked man who regarded the snoring lawyer with amusement and sadness – the swimmer brushed a finger against a stray lock of hair.  He could smell the weariness on the Other’s skin.  He’d walked among the Others often enough to know that smell – it seemed many of them carried it like a second skin – but it made him particularly unhappy to sense it on _this_ Other.  He didn’t know why but he was intrigued by the man who had thrown the sparkling ring into the waters.  It was as if his pain and loneliness had somehow found an echo far from the waves and world he was familiar with – he looked up at his Goddess and sighed.  Her blessings always came by a different current and he’d spent far too long in his life swimming against it.  He set the box down beside the sleeping man and sat down across from him.The moon shone down on them both.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Harvey's responses in this chapter might be construed as dubious consent. Bear with me, I'll explain it but not until later.

Harvey regarded the empty bottle of 18 year Macallan with one grainy eyeball. A single band of pain throbbed just behind his eyebrows while the hideous gummy and gritty residue in his mouth teased him with the suggestion that he’d eaten a handful of sand sometime during the night.  The day’s heat lay like the most horrible blanket ever on his skin without even an ocean breeze to disturb it.  Panic shot through Harvey and he sat up far too quickly thinking he’d just crisped himself into skin cancer.  The world spun and he groaned heavily, pressing a hand to his temple with desperate pressure.  He sat on the edge of the lounge chair struggling not to release the contents of his stomach onto the deck.  He was still wearing his slacks from the previous night but not his shoes.  His feet were coated with sand.  A white blaze flared down the center of his skull and Harvey brought his other hand up to press down on the offending cranium.

“Fuck!”

A low laugh jolted Harvey. He forced his eyes open.  Before him, clad in absolutely nothing but what looked like a carved shell pendant on a long strip of black leather, was a young man.  His short, spiked hair was water-bleached blonde and the eyes currently twinkling with amusement were the pale blue of a wave’s edge before it slipped back into the sea.  Some part of Harvey’s rational mind told him it was beyond ridiculous to be sitting on the deck of his rental house in the Caribbean – with a hangover, no less – staring at a naked man and constructing prose in his head but it was quickly drowned under a surge of heated attraction.

Harvey had little compunction about who he shared his bed with – male or female. When it came to sex, he followed the allurement and forwent concerning himself with technical details because he wasn’t the type of man to deny himself pleasure.  He did like a good presentation, however, and what stood a few feet from him was definitely well-presented … and well-endowed.  The displayed skin was smooth with a uniform tan that was nearly impossible to believe from the hairline to the sand-dusted toes … and what rested between the kid’s lean muscular legs was enough to make Harvey’s mouth go drier if that were at all humanly possible.  It was also free of any hair – in fact, beyond what rested on top of the young man’s head; there wasn’t a single hair in sight.  Not even a faint shadow to indicate that hair had ever graced the skin the first place.  It was a curious detail and one that Harvey’s rational mind was filing away but his thoughts were too muddled yet for him to examine the mystery further.  He closed his eyes and exhaled slowly.

“I don’t know who you are but if you’re here to rob me, just help yourself and leave me here to die quietly.”

Another laugh and Harvey had to open his eyes again because, damn, he liked the happy sounds coming out of this kid. The smile that shone down on Harvey dazzled him.  It brought to mind the sun winking on the waves as they rolled across the endless sea.  Harvey shook his head.  Dear God, he was losing his mind.

“Ok, enough … who are you?”

“Michael.”

“Michael what?” Harvey asked with a frown.

The young man’s smile faltered and while Harvey instantly regretted pressing, he didn’t allow that to show in his expression. Michael shrugged and said, “Ross.  And you?”

Harvey’s brain told him he shouldn’t be sharing with a total stranger – hell, it was screaming at him to tell the naked kid to leave but what came out was simply, “Harvey. Harvey Specter.”

Michael Ross nodded. “Good … now that we know our names, I made you some breakfast.  You should eat … it will help with the headache.”

Harvey stood unsteadily. “You … made me _breakfast_?”  Another panic-inducing thought hit him.  “Oh God … kid, did we … did I … shit, what happened last night?”

Michael laughed again and there was a strange sound to it that seemed familiar but Harvey couldn’t quite place it.

“You were very drunk. You woke up and asked me to call someone named Donna?” Michael replied cheerfully as he walked back into the house.

From Harvey’s new vantage point, his appreciation of Michael’s body grew. He found himself watching the play of muscles down the young man’s back to the delectable globes of his perfect backside.  Deep black lines swirled over Michael’s shoulder blades in a pattern that Harvey doubted could be found in a tattoo shop binder.  They were almost organic, as though the kid had been born with them instead of getting them etched into his skin.  Harvey suddenly realized with some horror that he’d been reaching out to _touch_ the expanse of flesh calmly walking into his kitchen.  He jerked his hand back and gripped his wrist tightly with the other hand as though it might decide to operate independent of his will again.

Michael walked behind the small island that had a range on it. Heavenly sweet and spicy scents drifted across Harvey’s nose.  His stomach clenched almost painfully but not in rebellion.  Harvey was surprised to find that he was famished.  Michael deftly cut the large fish that sat steaming in a skillet in half before putting the larger piece in front of Harvey.  A glass of what Harvey assumed was lemonade appeared beside his plate.  He sipped it experimentally and found it thick and lemony which didn’t deter him at all – Harvey finished off the drink in a couple of gulps.

“Slow down,” Michael admonished him even as he refilled the glass. “Try your grouper.”

Harvey found the fish tender enough to cut with his fork and he obediently tried a piece, not examining his willingness to be served food by someone he knew _not at all_.  Harvey’s surprised grunt made Michael laugh again and the young man set about eating his own straight from the skillet.  The fish was better than almost anything he’d ever eaten in his life and he said as much to Michael.

“It’s fresh,” the young man explained. “Straight out of the waves to your plate, Harvey Specter.”

Harvey stared at Michael and then at his plate. He pointed tines at the fish.  “You _caught_ this?”

Michael smiled and nodded. “You were going to need food so I provided.  Do you really like it?”

The last was asked with a shy pause and a look from the blue gaze that had Harvey shifting uncomfortably on his bar stool. He nodded.  “It’s delicious, Mike.”

The young man smiled. “Is that a nickname?”

“I guess,” Harvey shrugged. “Michael seems so formal.”  Something nudged at Harvey’s awareness and he took another long drink of his lemonade.  “I bet this tastes incredible with rum!”

Mike chuckled. “I would leave off the drink for a while, Harvey.  You tested your body’s limits with what you drank last night.”  He frowned thoughtfully.  “That was foolish.”

Harvey laughed then. “Foolish?  What, are you my mother?  Last night I found out the woman I loved has been screwing her boss and didn’t quite know how to tell me.  I think I was entitled to be ‘foolish’.”

Mike looked like he might cry as he stared at Harvey. “Your mate?  She … she betrayed you with another?”  Mike’s voice carried a sincere incredulous tone to it, as though the young man couldn’t believe anyone would do such a horrible thing.

Harvey put his fork down and nodded. “Four years and she picks the night I propose to drop that little bombshell of hers.  She always did have shit timing.”

Mike walked around the island and Harvey suddenly found himself in a hard embrace. The smoothly muscled arms he’d been admiring earlier were also warm.  It was difficult not to relax into the hug, his chin resting on Mike’s shoulder and his arms loosely wrapped around the slender torso.  Mike smelled like the sea – salt, sand, fish and something vaguely tropical underneath it all.  When the other man pulled back, Harvey smiled, expecting a bro-pat on the arm or something but instead he found Mike’s mouth on his. 

Harvey’s internal alarms went off, wailing and warbling against the intrusion into his personal space. He could hear a voice that sounded suspiciously like Jessica of all people telling him to get the hell out of Dodge before he did something monumentally stupid like take a man he didn’t even fucking know to bed.  In truth, the risk to life and limb was no greater than any _other_ one-night-stand he’d ever had in his life but the addition of a foreign land and the wide, unfathomable expanse of the ocean just outside his back door made it seem more reckless.  He leaned back, intending to break the kiss but his attention fell on the steady, gentle press of a tongue across his own.  Mike intended, apparently, to make Harvey come in his pants like a teenager because every slow stroke sent thrills straight to his cock.  A low groan burbled up between them and then Mike _did_ pull away.  Harvey would take to the grave any admission of the soft _‘wait’_ that slipped out when the kiss ended.  He stared at Mike who was looking back just as intently with his sea-blue eyes.  Harvey ran his tongue over his lips and realized he could taste the fish Mike had served him along with a tart, tropical something … Mike’s thumb followed Harvey’s tongue and the lawyer shivered with arousal.

“Mike …”

A strong, warm hand closed over his own and he was led up the stairs to the master bath. Harvey barely had time to register the mess Scottie had left the room in before Mike turned and began to unbutton his shirt.  Harvey raised his hand to undo the belt when a hand took hold and guided him to Mike’s waist.  An azure gaze looked at him through dark eyelashes. 

“Don’t worry,” Mike softly assured. “I want this too … trust me?”

Harvey blinked. He let Mike brush his shirt back and off.  The warmth in the smooth hands sank into his skin as Mike slowly slid them over Harvey’s chest.  He followed them and startled realizing that Mike’s fingers were webbed.  Another alarm tried to sound dismally in the back of his mind but it fell silent when Mike’s fingers brushed then paused over the patch of hair between Harvey’s chest muscles and a smile tugged at the corner of the thin mouth.  It all seemed surreal but he suddenly had to kiss Mike.  He leaned in and pressed a kiss to the little parenthesis on one side of Mike’s lips.  The young man chuckled.

“Mike … what’s … who _are_ you?”

Mike looked up at Harvey but his hands continued to work at the belt. Harvey felt his pants slide to the floor and his boxers followed a moment later.  He didn’t even hesitate to step out of them and kick them aside.  Mike looped his arms around Harvey’s neck.  It occurred to Harvey that he hadn’t even asked about the webbing … and he didn’t care that he hadn’t.  He should care, Harvey knew but right now he just didn’t.  And he didn’t have it in him to try and make sense out of that.

Mike replied to his question. “I’m just Michael.  The Goddess sent me to you.”

“Goddess?” Harvey asked, confused. “What are you talking about?”

Mike shook his head. “Nevermind.  Does it matter?  Does anything else matter right now?”

Harvey didn’t even need to think about it – _nothing_ mattered but the smooth body in his arms.  He sucked in a sharp breath when his erection found a response.  He let Mike kiss him again and fell into the sensation of their bodies moving against each other as their tongues danced.  It seemed to take no time at all before Harvey’s head fell back with a groan as he came.  Mike blew out a sharp breath but he’d followed the lawyer into climax.  Harvey swayed a little as they pressed their foreheads together.

“What the hell was that?” he asked.

Mike chuckled, his breathing still quick. “It was good.  Like it was supposed to be … good.  So good.”

The last was breathed into Harvey’s mouth as they kissed. He groaned.  “We need a shower.”

Mike laughed and pulled away. He looked through the open door at the large claw foot bathtub and shook his head.

“I changed my mind,” Mike grinned.

Harvey followed Mike down the stairs and out onto the deck, his cock twitching at the way the tattoos rippled with each step. He winced when they walked out the back doors into the bright sun but Mike didn’t even slow.  He stepped off the deck onto the sand.  Harvey looked around uneasily.

“Uh, Mike?”

The young man turned around with a smile that made Harvey forget his discomfort. He had no idea how this was even possible – barely two hours had passed since he’d awakened on his deck and found a handsome – naked – young man with webbed fingers watching him and cooking him lunch.  They’d basically rubbed off on each other and now he was following him into the surf – naked as the day he was born – it was as though his early college years were coming back around.

Mike waded out into the waves and when the water was a little more than waist-high, he dove.

Harvey gaped. It was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen.  Mike’s body had arced over the water, his hands in a perfect point over his head.  Harvey could only imagine how strong the long legs were to propel Mike up and over so powerfully.  And, as neatly as a hot knife into butter, Mike slid under the surface.  Harvey watched uneasily as a minute ticked by and then another. 

“Oh shit …”

Running into the shallows, Harvey stumbled forward, splashing in a completely ungraceful manner in contrast to Mike’s lovely form earlier. He shouted for his mysterious companion.

“Mike! Mike!  Where are you!”

Harvey dove, feeling the sting of salt water on his eyes. The sand he’d churned up made sight difficult but he still held his breath as long as he good, spinning around trying to catch sight of the tan body.  Panic flared in his chest and Harvey broke the surface, gasping for air before he swam farther out beyond where he could touch bottom and dove again.  The water seemed to stretch out forever in any direction as Harvey fought to stay submerged.  When his lungs felt like they were going to burn out of his chest, Harvey surfaced again.  He felt the panic he’d been ignoring since he’d awakened finally take over.  He called out, “Mike!”

There was no answer and he was alone in the water. He was alone.  A thought occurred to him – what if Mike had been nothing but an alcohol-induced hallucination?  Those happened, didn’t they?  Harvey swallowed a mouthful of water as his anxiety increased.  His heart was pounding against his sternum. 

“Oh God … Mike!” Harvey shouted.

He flailed. The shore seemed miles away and he was getting so tired.  It was harder and harder to tread water … he tried to head back to shore but it was like something was pushing him farther away.  He had lost his mind – Scottie had driven him over the edge and now he was going to drown because his screwed up brain made up some sort of fantasy about a naked guy and –

“Harvey!”

Harvey jerked around. Mike was bobbing just beside him, his eyes bright with concern.  “Harvey?  Harvey … what’s wrong?  Harvey?”

Mike’s melodic voice was the last thing Harvey heard as he sank beneath the rippling waves.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: this chapter continues with the dub-con feels. But I'm thinking Harvey isn't minding much at this point . . .

Harvey dreamt of sea blue eyes and warm, clear water. The peaceful silence soothed his normally tumultuous thoughts.  Harvey fought waking up but eventually the tendrils holding him in his dream released him to float into wakefulness.  When he opened his eyes, Harvey found himself in the master bedroom and the light told him it was late afternoon, almost evening.  He’d slept through the remainder of the day.  He sat up slowly and startled when he noticed that Mike was sitting at the foot of the bed, back to one of the posts and arms around his knees.  The young man looked like a kicked puppy with his blonde hair dried flat against his head.

“Mike?”

Harvey’s companion stirred and slowly unfolded. He crawled across the comforter to kneel beside Harvey.  Any other day in his life and Harvey would have been on Mike in a heartbeat, near-drowning incident forgotten because the grace in the musculature sliding beneath caramel-colored skin made Harvey feel like a parched man looking at a lake full of sweet, clean water.

Instead, he somehow understood that the silence between them could only be broken by Mike so he sat quietly. Mike reached out and lifted Harvey’s hand.  He pressed his own to it, palm to palm, fingers splayed.  Harvey stared at the webbing between the long digits then let his gaze travel up to the powder blue eyes.  The pain he saw there caused him to ask uncertainly.

“Mike? Mike, what is it?”

“I’m so sorry, Harvey … I was playing with you … teasing you out farther than I should have,” Mike whispered miserably. “I didn’t think the currents –“

The gaze shuttered for a moment and Mike seemed to struggle internally with something. For some reason, that made an anxious knot bloom in the lawyer’s gut.  Something precious fluttered in Harvey’s grasp, trying to escape and he knew he couldn’t afford to let that happen.  Harvey captured Mike’s hand between both of his own.  When the sea blue gaze found him again, Harvey surged forward to take a kiss from the stranger that had somehow managed to wrap himself around Harvey’s life without even trying.  Mike’s mouth opened easily and Harvey lost himself in the desperate questing between their tongues.  He needed to be closer.  He _needed_ –

“God I want you, Mike,” Harvey whispered hoarsely.

“I’m yours,” Mike replied.

Harvey knew Mike was only referring only to his body but the words made something ache inside him. Harvey Specter had everything anyone could ever want in life – financial security, successful career, high social standing – and yet he came home to an empty condo nearly every night.  His world was filled with high-dollar, quality things but nothing satisfied.  It all felt insubstantial like a dream he couldn’t quite wake up from.  The man currently pulling away the sheet to reveal Harvey’s still naked body felt more real than anything Harvey had ever experienced.  Mike was solid flesh and bone – warm, willing and he _wanted_ Harvey if the hard press of flesh against his thigh were any indication. 

“Harvey?”

Mike paused in his very welcome exploration of Harvey’s chest with his lips. Harvey blinked and suddenly realized his cheeks were wet.  Mike’s fingers lightly brushed against Harvey’s face and a soft trill vibrated in his throat.  It was eerie and filled with longing.  A shiver scrambled down Harvey’s spine to pool in a soft, steady heat at the base.  He clutched at Mike’s smooth hips to pull him closer.

“What _is_ this, Mike?” Harvey kissed the sun-chapped lips.  “What is this …?”

Mike moved over Harvey. He straddled Harvey’s thighs and guided their cocks to rub against one another.  The warmth radiated from Mike’s body into Harvey’s and he groaned when the young man ran webbed hands over Harvey’s torso. 

“It’s whatever you want it to be, Harvey,” Mike murmured. “I’m here … take what you want.”

Harvey sucked in a hard breath when Mike closed a smooth palm around his erection. A thumb rubbed across his slit and he pushed up into the touch, his entire body blazing with need.  Harvey gripped Mike’s arms and rolled them both over so that he was on top. 

“You’re so – _beautiful_ ,” Harvey murmured as he leaned down to kiss along Mike’s jaw and then down onto his chest.

Harvey’s lips brushed over the pulsing vein along Mike’s neck. He paused when his kiss landed over something tough like leather – the cord holding Mike’s shell pendant.  Harvey intended to ignore it but Mike shifted and the light made the shell shimmer which drew his attention.  Now that he was closer, he could see it was a stingray; the wide fins flared like wings and the tail curled over itself to create a loop where the cord tied on.  Harvey’s arousal dimmed slightly as he fingered the pendant.  Mike slipped it off and Harvey rolled onto his back to hold it up to the light.  He frowned because it was a solid white piece but as he turned it in his hand, he could just make out the incredible details etched into the surface.  He didn’t see the pleased smile that crossed Mike’s face as he lay on his side watching Harvey.  He slid his leg up and down Harvey’s while the lawyer examined the shell closely.  It never occurred to the lawyer to wonder why he’d just stopped what was shaping up to be very enjoyable sex to look at a shell of all things.

“It’s like you … I keep seeing new patterns no matter how I turn it,” Harvey murmured.

“I carved it myself. It’s a tradition in my fe – in my family.  The stingray is sort of a family crest,” Mike explained.  “My mother taught me the legends and my father taught me the songs.”

“Where are you from, Mike?”

Mike smiled, his eyes sparkling like the sun on water. “Far from here, Harvey.  I’d like you to come see my home … someday.”

Harvey chuckled. “I literally just met you, Mike.  Little soon to take me home to meet mom.”

The smile faded into something sadder and Harvey felt the familiar clenching sensation in his chest, as if a fist had closed over his heart. “Hey … did I say something?”

Mike shook his head. “I – my parents are gone.  All of my family is gone to be with the Goddess.”

“I’m sorry, Mike,” Harvey replied, turning to face Mike. “I lost my dad a few years ago.  You said ‘the Goddess’ earlier too … is that your – your religion?”

It was a little unnerving to think of Mike as some tree-hugging flower child but seriously, who else would walk around stark naked and play in the sea on a Caribbean island like they hadn’t a care in the world? In New York, he wouldn’t have given Mike more than an appreciative glance but here … his heart was in shambles and his body really didn’t care if Mike howled at the moon every night.  It was insane and even though reason kept nagging at him about it, Harvey felt his mind skittering away from examining his sudden infatuation with a total stranger named Mike who apparently walked into his life from the beach.  No … there was sun-warm skin to be explored … and so much of it.

Mike didn’t offer any more information. Instead, he took the pendant and slipped the cord over Harvey’s head so that it settled against his chest.  The shell felt warm and it eased something inside him.  Webbed digits brushed over Harvey’s cheek.

“I’ll tell you some other day,” Mike murmured, pressing himself close and sliding his leg between Harvey’s thighs. “Right now I want to feel you inside me.”

Harvey moaned into Mike’s mouth, all thoughts of family and responsibility sailing right out of his head in favor of tasting every inch of the young man’s mouth. Smooth skin slid against his own as their passion grew again.  Harvey pressed Mike back and rose up on his knees to reach into the nightstand.  Mike frowned at the condom.

“You don’t need –“

Harvey gave a throaty chuckle as he tore open the pack. “Mike, I want you more than I’ve ever wanted anyone but until I know what this is between us, we’re not cutting corners.  Fair?”

Mike sighed and stretched alluringly. “If that’s what it takes to have you inside me, then yes.  Hurry … I want you so much, Harvey.”

The long, lean body moved sinuously beneath him and made Harvey fumble the condom with suddenly trembling fingers. Mike steadied his hands and in a move that nearly made Harvey come, rolled the prophylactic into place with Harvey.  Storm-dark blue eyes flashed with a heated desire Harvey hadn’t seen in a bed partner for far too long.  He groaned.  “ _Mike_ …”

Muscle memory saved Harvey from a repeat of his teenage first over-eager time as he quickly applied lubricant and then pressed his fingers, one after another, into Mike’s body. The young man’s soft keen and slow, graceful back arch made Harvey tremble.  It was an almost sad awareness that he was not going to last long.  “ _Fuck …_ Mike … so beautiful …”

Harvey stared over the edge of the cliff. It would either be cool, clear water or hidden rocks but his body had long since broken free of his brain’s moorings.  Something was forming between them … something incredible that threatened to drown the lawyer as certainly as the surf only a beach width away from them.  Logic demanded that he acknowledge his precarious position and Harvey did … he really did know the danger he was in but nothing in that instant could have changed his course.  He positioned himself and Mike wrapped his swimmer’s legs around the lawyer. 

“Please Harvey … want you inside …”

Harvey wasn’t sure later if it was his own momentum or Mike’s limbs that sent him gliding into the tight heat of his companion’s body but once there he felt a strong confluence. Mike gazed up at Harvey with eyes that seemed endless.  As his body climaxed, Harvey dove over the edge into their sapphire depths.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A brief interlude with our boys . . .

Harvey had seen far too many dawns through the windows of his New York law firm office – the light spreading gradually until he was forced to put down the shades to block the early morning glare reflecting off all the other windows housing all the other people working too-long hours. He could count on one hand the number of sunrises he’d actually paid attention to – actually, it would only take two fingers – his first day at Pearson Hardman and the day of his father’s funeral.

This morning, Harvey stirred when the body beside him moved away. His brain registered the loss of warmth and began to bring him up out of his slumber.  Harvey grunted with displeasure when his questing hand found only cooling sheets.  He frowned when he heard a soft chuckle in response to his irritation.  The mattress dipped and a soft kiss brushed over the mole on his left eyebrow.

“You’re grumpy like a barracuda,” Mike murmured as he nuzzled against Harvey’s jaw. “Come out of your dreams and join me on the beach.”

Harvey blinked. “What?”

Mike slid off the bed and stood. He was naked as always and smiling.  “Come with me to the beach, Harvey.”

Harvey looked over his shoulder at the window. “It’s still dark!”

Mike laughed, causing the familiar shiver to slide down Harvey’s spine. “The ocean never sleeps, Harvey.” He sauntered out of the room, leaving Harvey watching his tanned backside and the luscious play of muscles along the younger man’s back.  The tattoo swirled with Mike’s movements and Harvey felt a tug of recognition in the pattern but he couldn’t place it immediately.

He rolled over on his back and looked up at the ceiling beams. “What the hell am I _doing_?”

No one answered but then Harvey noticed the slide of something on his chest. He ran a thumb over the stingray pendant, feeling the swirls and lines of the carving.  One corner of his mouth lifted up as the memories of the night came to him – watching Mike moan and writhe beneath him; a shared shower which had devolved into a shared hand job; falling asleep kissing Mike gently with their bodies curled around and against each other – it seemed so perfect, like everything he’d ever wanted presented to him in a lithe, handsome body.

_Follow him._

Harvey rose from the bed. He walked downstairs, naked, to find Mike on the deck.  Taking his lover’s hand to stroll across the cool sand in the early morning dimness seemed eerily natural.  Harvey could suddenly _see_ himself doing this every morning with Mike.  He didn’t resist when Mike led him into the surf but Harvey did gasp when the water sent a chill racing across his skin.  As if to ward off the discomfort, Mike pulled Harvey into a long kiss.  The lawyer felt the same sense of _rightness_ gliding through his mind and ran his hands along the smooth torso and around to the small of Mike’s back.  The ocean swirled around them and Harvey groaned into Mike’s mouth.

“God, what you do to me, kid,” he muttered.

Mike chuckled. “The same as you do to me, I’m sure, Harvey.  Now look – the morning breaks.”

Harvey followed Mike’s finger and his eyes widened. A line of indigo marked the horizon.  As Harvey watched, the line faded into cobalt lying on a heather gray backdrop.  Then the first dot of light appeared and the entire sky seemed to blush like a sea rose with a brilliant coin at its center.  Petals stretched outward, cushioning and buoying the disc into the air, seeming to emerge from the dark depths themselves.  As the flower bloomed, burnt gold flowed along the swiftly dying blossom until finally it washed away the last vestiges of coral to reveal an azure sky over the cerulean water.

“Harvey?” Mike’s uncertain tone made the lawyer look away from the breath-stealing display.

Wrinkled fingertips brushed over Harvey’s cheek and he realized not all the salt-water on his face came from the ocean around him. He gave a weak laugh.

“That was – I don’t even have words,” Harvey explained.

Mike’s smile pulled a reflection out of Harvey. “I love watching the shift in Her colors like the octopus.  She hides during the day but I know She’s there all the same … sometimes She even peeks out before the night comes.”

Harvey blinked and his mouth opened as realization hit him. “Are you talking about the _moon_ , Mike?”

Another enigmatic smile drifted across Mike’s face and slipped away from Harvey with a couple of strong strokes. It carried him just out of Harvey’s reach and into deeper water.  “She has many names in many languages but She watches over Her Children – those born and tied to the depths and those like me, born on the land but destined to seek out Her waters no matter where we may be.”

Mike let his shoulders and head ease back and floated in front of Harvey. His arms outstretched, Mike’s body rolled easily with the gentle waves.  He might have been a piece of driftwood riding the current for all the effort the younger man exerted.  Harvey swam closer, a twinge of uncertainty filling him as he lost the feel of sand beneath him and he was reminded of his last panicked swim.  He came eye-level with Mike’s feet and he frowned.

“Your toes are webbed too?”

Mike flicked one foot, splashing Harvey. “You ask about everything, don’t you, Harvey?” 

Mike floated with his eyes closed but opened them at Harvey’s silence. Mike opened one eye and then folded to bring himself upright again with a sigh.  He held up one hand and spread his fingers, displaying the membranes between his digits.  “It’s a genetic condition common in my family.  It’s called _syndactyly_.  I’ve been like this all my life.  Do you find it ugly?”

Harvey shook his head, suddenly anxious. “No … no!  Nothing about you is ugly, Mike.  I just – you’re right.  I ask too many questions about stupid shit.”  He pushed away from Mike.

Mike followed easily and stopped the man’s retreat with a hand on his shoulder. “Harvey, wait -- I _like_ your questions.”  His blue eyes peered into Harvey’s brown ones.  “I – others didn’t like it … and I don’t want you to be disgusted by me.”

Harvey wondered if his face conveyed the incredulous feeling flowing through him. “How … how could _anyone_ think you’re disgusting?”  He lifted Mike’s hand and gently brushed over the webbing.  “I’ve never met anyone like you … and I don’t mean just your looks, Mike.  You make me feel … hell, that’s it.  You make me _feel_.  Donna is never going to let me live this down.”

Mike tilted his head in curiosity. “Donna sounds like a woman with power.”

“Kid, you have no idea how right you are,” Harvey agreed. “Hey, what say we go into town?  I’m starving.”

Mike glanced around them. “I can –“

“Mike, let me buy you lunch … you and I haven’t even had an entire conversation since we met _two days_ ago,” Harvey said.  “I want to know more about you, where you grew up, what you do for a living – everything.” He kissed the chapped lips.  “And since it’s already Monday and I have to fly out on Saturday … now seems like a good time.”

Mike deepened the kiss for a moment and then nodded. “Alright, Harvey.”

The same way they’d walked to the water, they walked back to the house – hand-in-hand. When they stepped under the warm shower, Harvey had to guide Mike’s hands away from his cock.

“Easy, kid … I’m all for spending the day in bed with you. Hell, I want to christen every room in this place with you but food is important too,” Harvey said, mouthing along Mike’s neck and enjoying every soft sound it pulled from the young man.

“Whatever you want, Harvey … whatever you want …” Mike responded, arching his back and thrusting his pelvis into Harvey’s.

Harvey decided dinner would do.


	5. Chapter 5

“Wait … you met him _when,_ exactly?”

Harvey looked out at the growing dusk and then smiled at the computer screen, amused at Donna’s incredulous tone. “The morning after I drank myself blind when Scotty left.”

“Aaaand you thought it was a good idea to not only let him stay with you but have sex as well? Harvey, have you lost your mind?!”

“He caught lunch,” Harvey offered with a shrug.

The redhead’s mouth fell open in shock. Another face crowded in beside Donna and Harvey found himself looking at his associate, Rachel Zane.  He raised an eyebrow.  Harvey had long suspected they were closer than just friends but he knew the blouse Rachel was wearing buttoned so haphazardly belonged to Donna.

“Well, hello, Rachel … how are you?” Harvey teased.

The woman frowned. “Don’t even try to change the subject, Harvey, what are you _thinking_?”

Harvey bristled, getting annoyed. “Would you two relax?  Mike isn’t going to murder me in my sleep.  I just wanted to let you know I might need to add another ticket for my trip home.”

The silence was deafening. Donna’s face filled the screen.  “Harvey Specter, you are _not_ bringing him home with you – Stella may have gotten her groove back but that doesn’t mean you need to bring back a stray puppy of your own!”

“Donna,” Harvey found himself growling. “Mike is not a _stray._ This isn’t some mid-life crisis I’m having, thank you very much. _If_ I decide to bring Mike home with me, that’s my choice.  He makes me happier than I’ve been in years – for once I want to do something that isn’t planned down to the last detail.”

“Harvey, be reasonable – you don’t even know him. Great sex does not a worthy human being make – look at Scotty.”

Harvey felt a band tighten around his heart and Donna sighed. “Harvey, I’m sorry.  I didn’t mean –“

“I’ll call you later this week. If you have to know, his name is Michael James Ross.” Harvey ended the call and frowned at the screen for a long time. 

The conversation rolled over and over in Harvey’s brain. None of it sounded like the old Harvey … he knew Donna had reason to be concerned but whenever he was with Mike, it all seemed perfectly _right._ It felt like all his life had been leading to this moment, to this time when he would find someone he could just be with and not have to be anything.  He ran a hand over his face and blew out a frustrated breath.

“What am I doing?” Harvey asked the room. The waves crashed outside and for a moment he was lost in the sound.  The rhythm was seductive and so he couldn’t stop the startled yelp when a pair of hands settled on his shoulders.

Mike took a step back with a sleepy grin. He stretched his arms toward the ceiling.  “Sorry, Harvey.”

Harvey blinked, momentarily struck dumb by the warm expanse of tan skin as always. Harvey was no prude but he’d never met anyone like Mike who was so completely comfortable in his own naked skin.  And when Mike straddled his lap, pressing their foreheads together, Harvey was hard-pressed not to just pull off the jeans and shirt he’d put on earlier.

“I woke up and you weren’t there,” Mike murmured, running his hand over Harvey’s chest and the pendant. “Bed was cold.”

“We’re in the tropics, Mike … I doubt it was cold,” Harvey teased, unable to stop the shiver that went down his spine.

Mike smiled against Harvey’s lips. His tongue brushed against them and Harvey opened willingly, letting the kiss deepen.  Mike’s hand tightened around the pendant and all of Harvey’s plans for dinner seemed to float away.  It took more effort than he thought possible to pull back and force his thoughts to clear.

Harvey cleared his throat. “Kid, as much as I want that, I want dinner more, believe it or not – we need to get dressed.”

Mike frowned and ran his fingertips over Harvey’s jawline. “But making love to you would be more fun … besides, I can always catch you something later.”

Harvey chuckled and mouthed his way along Mike’s neck, enjoying the soft groans that followed. “Mmm … while I’m the last guy to argue with you, we have to consider farther down the road.  I’ve got a full-time job in New York that won’t last long if all we do is fuck like rabbits.”

Mike paused at that comment. “You want me to come home with you?”

Harvey exhaled slowly. He studied the younger man’s face and locked onto the blue gaze.  “Yes.  Mike, I learned a long time ago to trust my instincts and you – I don’t know what it is about you, about this entire situation but damn I just can’t get enough of you.”

Mike’s smile dazzled Harvey and the following kiss left him breathless. He chuckled and pushed Mike back again.  “Mike?  I need actual words here –“

“I want to be with you always, Harvey,” Mike replied. “I’ve wanted you since I saw you on the beach that night.”

Harvey felt his heart swell with an emotion he didn’t want to examine closely right now. He was a man who got what he wanted and oh how he wanted Mike.  It was a longer kiss than he intended but after a moment, Harvey found the wherewithal to shove a pouting Mike off his lap.  “Up … we need to get dressed.”

* * *

Harvey had to admit, Mike looked good in his clothes. Since they were of a height, the linen pants fit well enough and Mike’s tan was a gorgeous contrast to the white short-sleeved shirt Harvey located for him.  Mike’s blue eyes faded to the lightest sea mist and Harvey struggled to keep his mind focused on actually making it out of the house this time.  He selected a coral shirt that brought out his brown eyes.  He tucked the pendant underneath the shirt where it lay warm against his skin.

The restaurant was a higher-end establishment and where he’d planned on taking Scotty before her abrupt revelation and departure. Harvey couldn’t believe that in two days he’d gone from heartbreak to being overwhelmingly _gone_ on Mike.  He watched his dinner companion look at the menu, a small divot between his eyes.  Harvey sipped his wine.

“Order whatever you want, Mike. My treat because if you’ve had an American Express tucked somewhere in your ‘wardrobe’, I’d rather not know.”

Mike frowned. “American Express?”

“Yeah, the credit card? Come on, don’t tell me you don’t know what a credit card is,” Harvey chuckled.

Mike frowned until Harvey pulled out his wallet and showed him the black card. Mike’s eyes lit up and he grinned.

“Oh, I’ve seen these before! Others use this and money to purchase food …” Mike mused almost to himself.  He handed the card back to Harvey.  “I’d forgotten.”

“You forgot? Mike, how do you forget about how money works?”

Mike shrugged and went back to looking at the menu. “I don’t use it so I usually forget about it.”

“Wait, you don’t use money? How do you survive?”

Mike’s smile faded when he saw the concerned look on Harvey’s face. He reached across the table to touch Harvey’s hand.  “It’s alright, Harvey.  The Goddess provides everything I need.”

Harvey snorted. “Except clothes … or shelter.  Where do you _live_ , Mike?”

Mike pulled back and Harvey felt a bone-deep ache ripple through him. He noticed the menu shaking and quickly put it down as the waiter approached.  The man took their order and left.  Harvey took another drink of his wine and found his free hand faltering for the pendant.  Mike noticed with a frown.

“Harvey?”

“I’m not – look, it doesn’t matter to me where you’re from, Mike. I don’t care about that – I just care about you.  Do you understand?  Please … I just care about you,” Harvey pleaded.

Harvey felt the air around him grow stifling. Every eye in the restaurant was on him and he could feel the weight of that attention building until he couldn’t see or think.  His heartbeat sounded unnaturally loud to him.  Voices were far away and hard to understand.

_He’s leaving._

_Mike’s leaving._

_It wasn’t real._

_I ruined everything._

_I ruin everything._

_Please don’t leave me … please don’t leave me … please …_

“ … don’t leave me … please … don’t let go …”

Sound seemed to fall into his ears like rushing water and it was all too loud and confusing. Harvey forced his eyes open, only dimly realizing he’d had them clenched shut.  Words tumbled from his sand-scraped throat in raw, desperate begging.

“Please don’t leave me, Mike … please … I don’t care … I don’t care where you’re from … I don’t care … I just want you … I just want you …”

Mike crouched beside Harvey’s chair, making soft sounds as he lay his hand over Harvey’s that gripped the pendant so tightly the shell was actually in danger of breaking. Mike did not attempt to pry the lawyer’s fingers loose.  His webbed fingers blanketed the white knuckles and familiar warmth eased into Harvey’s skin. 

Harvey managed to roll his eyes up, whining at the lead weight of them. Mike looked at him with an open, clear expression.  There was no pity, only concern and even that was somehow non-frantic.  Harvey realized that Mike knew whatever had stricken his lover was not fatal, merely something to be waited on to pass.  The young man’s gaze fluttered over Harvey’s face, reassuring himself that nothing was amiss while he waited, patient as the moon itself for the panic attack to ease away like the tide.

Mike looked up at the waiter and the restaurant manager who hovered anxiously beside the table, drawing the attention of the other patrons. He smiled, turning his entire Goddess-given charm on them. 

“He doesn’t feel well – too much sun and water today. I’m sorry but I need to take him home,” Mike explained easily.

All conciliatory and sympathetic words and gestures, the restaurant staff gladly released the pair to the night after calling one of the few cabs to see them home safely. Harvey rode in silence with Mike.  One hand gripped his pendant.  The other rested on Mike’s thigh with the young man’s hand wrapped over it.  He replayed Mike’s softly whispered words that had reached him in the depths of his attack.

_I belong to you, Harvey.  I will always belong to you.  I love you._

Later, Harvey floated beside Mike in the dark ocean and looked up at the moon, white and full above them. As he rolled into Mike’s embrace he smiled at the thought of his lover’s Goddess keeping watch while they made love in the waves.  Mike let Her light turn his eyes into bright pearls as he stared up, gasping Harvey's name in a prayer offered to her as pleasure thrummed through him.  His plea, however, was to give him the strength to let Harvey go before the man drowned, tangled in the net Mike had carefully woven around him. 

Tears spilled from the corners of his eyes as he shuddered through another aftershock.  He loved the man filling him now but tonight had shown him just how fragile Harvey truly was -- like the pearl created to protect against threat within the mollusk, layer after layer of hardness had been painted over Harvey's heart to shield it from pain.  His lover was beautiful for all his broken edges but Mike knew now ... he knew that Harvey could never be his.  Not truly.  The siren song had overwhelmed the Other and shattered the shell that protected him.  Harvey's heart was exposed and he would never survive being taken from all he knew, all he considered normal.

Mike wept unseen as Harvey floated beside him and slept, confident that Mike would keep them safe.  He never felt the young man carry him back to the house nor did he wake as he was tucked carefully in his bed.  He slumbered on and dreamed of warm water and sea blue eyes.


	6. Chapter 6

The knock at the door startled Harvey and he surfaced from the dark waters swirling through his mind. Three pieces of luggage, packed and ready to be loaded into a cab, stood on the polished wood floor in front of him.  He looked down to see airline tickets clutched in one hand.  His brain, once so quick and sharp, struggled to put the scattered clues together.  Eventually, he blinked and nodded to himself – of course.  He was going back to New York.  He was returning to a world he wasn’t sure he understood anymore but regardless, Harvey knew he could not stay here any longer.

He slid on sunglasses before he opened the door. His face made people uncomfortable these days.  Hell, it made _him_ uncomfortable every time he looked in the mirror and saw the pale, drained expression.  But more than that, his eyes … the mahogany windows to his soul revealed everything Harvey struggled to keep hidden.  They exposed the endless well of his despair.  So, sunglasses.

It took so much of Harvey’s carefully rationed energy to greet the driver and go through all the motions of interacting with another human being. It was, he supposed, a good thing he’d spent most of his adult life perfecting the skill of presenting only his chosen face to the public.  After so many years, it was a simple matter to pull on the ‘everything’s fine’ suit and hide his pain.  He was an old hand at that, at least.  The driver did not seem to notice anything out of place.

As the cab made its way along the narrow road that transected the island, Harvey wished he was colorblind. The world was suddenly too bright, too full of color.  It was suddenly all too much.  Vibrant shades of blue taunted him from the corner of his eye as he focused on the pavement in front of the vehicle.  Patches of green danced along his awareness as they passed the island’s foliage.  Harvey dared not look up into the too clear sky for fear he would simply tear off his sunglasses and gaze at the sun until he really did go blind.

He wondered if he’d ever be able to watch a sunrise again. Would he ever be able to do _anything_ again that wouldn’t remind him of when he was so deeply in love nothing else mattered and the world was full of beauty?  Instinctively, Harvey reached for the pendant but then remembered he’d left it behind, lying on the bed he’d shared for so short a time.  It had been physically painful to take it off and for a long time after, Harvey had simply knelt beside the bed, trembling while silent tears slid down his face.  If he could have managed to walk across the sand to the water, he would have thrown it into the surf but if he’d done that he wouldn’t have stopped.  He would have walked into the waves until his feet lost their purchase and the currents took his body.

No, it was left behind the way Harvey intended to leave everything about this misbegotten week behind.  Habit eventually brought him home to his empty, dark condo.  He pulled the drapes shut, stripped himself bare and crawled into bed.  He did not see the long sliver of moonlight that slipped between the panels and lay across his bedspread. 

* * *

Harvey frowned when he heard the lock on his condo door engage. He didn’t move, he was quite content in his large bathtub.  He sipped his scotch.  When the door swung open to reveal a concerned Donna, Harvey squinted at the light and lifted his tumbler in a salute.

“So _this_ is where you've been for three weeks?? Harvey, what the hell?” Donna stated in her usual answer-me-or-die manner.

Harvey closed his eyes and slid a little further down in the water. Donna was prepared to lash into her friend and employer until she took in the bathroom which was in a state Harvey would _never_ have allowed if he'd been in his right mind.  Her hand slowly rose to cover her mouth as her stunned gaze roamed over the detritus a broken heart left in its wake.

A suit that would probably have put a sizable dent in her mortgage lay piled with other articles of clothing on the floor beside the tub.  The unmistakable smell of mildew reached Donna.  A salt container lay on its side on the small teak bench beside the tub.  A hill of white rose from the dark wood just beneath the spout and she could see the caked overspill beneath the bench where salt had poured through the slats.  Other, empty containers lay scattered in a corner.  The only light was from the hallway which she had turned on and Donna tried not to imagine just how long Harvey might have sat in the cooling water in complete darkness.

“Har –“ Donna cleared her throat and struggled to gather her thoughts. “Harvey?  When was the last time you ate something?”

Harvey shrugged, the weak motion barely causing a ripple in the water. Donna slipped out of her heels and tiptoed through the puddles dotting the floor.  She set aside the salt shaker and brushed the remaining crystals to the floor before sitting down.   Her fingers slid into locks that were normally conditioned to silken softness but now lay coarse and brittle between her digits. 

Donna felt the tremors in Harvey's body before the hoarse, broken sobs escaped.  A deep ache settled in Donna's heart as Harvey finally released an anguished yell and threw his tumbler to shatter the mirror.  She vowed to find Mike Ross and she planned on making him very sorry he'd ever trifled with Harvey Specter.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to anyone still reading and commenting on this fic. It means more than you know. This chapter was a desperate attempt to stave off a depressive episode so that might explain the sad tone. Bear with me ... we'll get there. Love you all.

"Harvey, care to join us?"

Harvey flicked his gaze up from the drop of condensation he'd been watching slide down his glass to meet the dark, entirely unimpressed gaze of Jessica Pearson.  His mask firmly in place, Harvey sent an apologetic smile around the table.

"Sorry about that ... was Mr. Lacoskie going to present something new for this disposition or is he just going to repeat everything we've been discussing for the two hours?"

The conversation went south after that and Harvey was able to ignore the water pooling on his coaster.

* * *

"Imagine my lack of surprise that you are here," Jessica's smooth voice was a very unwelcome ripple in Harvey's dimly lit office.  She lowered herself gracefully into one of his guest chairs.

Harvey looked over his laptop at her.  "I'm fairly certain this isn't the first time I've put in a few extra hours."

Jessica pressed her lips into a thin line.  "No but then again we both know your behavior hasn't been predictable for a year and then some."

Harvey's fingers stilled on the keyboard for a moment before the light clicking began again.  He kept his focus on the screen.  "Per your _request_ ," Harvey stressed the word.  "I've been seeing a therapist on a weekly basis.  I've provided you progress reports _and_ I've even planned a few days off every month for the last four, all arranged with plenty of time for my cases to be covered."  His dark eyes met Jessica's.  "I'd say that's pretty 'predictable'."

Jessica arched an eyebrow.  "And where on that prepared checklist do you have 'spend time with other people', Harvey?"

Harvey gestured at the hall just beyond his office door.  "I was unaware that I was your only employee -- pretty sure that I 'spend time' with a lot of people every day."

"Ignorance isn't your style, Harvey, and it doesn't look good on you."

Harvey leaned back in his chair.  "What do you want from me, Jessica?  I'm grateful you let me come back to work after my ... after I took some time off.  I've met every employment stipulation you made to ensure I _stay_ employed.  My work is at or above the level it held before my ... time off.  I've brought in two new clients and this morning I successfully deflected a harassment suit against this firm.  Correct me if I'm wrong, but most firms in this city would consider me to be an exemplary employee."

"You are more than just an employee to me, Harvey and you know it," Jessica snapped.  "You are, I thought, one of my closest friends and someone I trust.  Someone I care about.  Someone who hasn't been himself since another friend found him sobbing and drunk in his bathtub."

Harvey's eyes narrowed.  "Your concern is noted.  Allow me to assure you that I am fine.  Now, I'm done with this conversation." He moved to stand.

Jessica was on her feet and leaning over his desk before Harvey could slide his mask back into place.  "You are done when I say you're done, Harvey.  Whatever happened to you on that trip is still with you.  And the longer you ignore it, the worse it's going to get.  Eventually, all the checklists in the world won't be able to bring you back from the shadows."

"You have no idea what you're talking about, Jessica."

"Then explain it to me, Harvey.  Did losing Scotty affect you so deeply?  Did she mean so much to you that you --"

Harvey slammed his laptop closed.  "Scotty?"  His laugh was cold and hard.  "Scotty means shit to me and you know that!  Scotty ... as if I'd go through all this for _her_."

"Then who, Harvey?" Jessica asked so softly he barely heard her.

Harvey stared down at his hands where they pressed against the desktop.  He struggled to find his center, to put up all the defenses he'd built since climbing out that bathtub so long ago but all he could hear was the sound of waves lapping against the shore.  He swallowed.

"You'd never understand."

Jessica reached across and tipped Harvey's chin up with a finger tipped by a long red nail.  "Maybe not.  But what I do understand is that whoever it was -- they shattered you.  And no matter how you try, Harvey, you won't put all the pieces back together again without them.  You need to find them and finish this one way or another."

Harvey pulled away and staggered to the window.  He looked up and of course She was looking back at him.  His fist thumped against the glass and he pressed his forehead to it.  "He's gone ... She'll never let me find him ..."

Alarmed at Harvey's rambles, Jessica moved to stand behind him.  A loud gust of wind seemed to hiss along the building when her hand rested on his shoulder.  "Harvey ... who are you talking about?  Who's stopping you?  Is someone --"

Harvey shrugged off her touch and Jessica felt uneasy when the wind stopped as well.  "It's my punishment.  No one else can touch me ... she won't let them."

"Harvey?"

The man she'd known for years turned to look at her and Jessica could not stop the gasp that escaped at the devastation brimming there.  Not even his father's death had left him so gutted.  "Oh Harvey ..."

Harvey looked back up at the moon peering at him from her lofty dais.  "Let me go," he moaned.  "Please just let me go."

* * *

Donna watched as Harvey settled himself into the chair on the back deck of his Hampton home, glass of Scotch in one hand.  They'd been here only two days and Harvey hadn't spoken more than a handful of words.  He avoided the windows at night and mostly just stared at the ocean.  Donna tapped her phone after settling her headset in place.

"I'm not entirely sure this is a good idea, Jessica.  He's barely eating and he certainly isn't telling _me_ what's going on in that brain of his," Donna frowned at Jessica's response.  "He used to tell me everything  ...  _before_."  Donna sighed.  "I'll keep trying, but you need to know that I'm _not_ going to push him to the point he was at when I found him, Jessica.  I won't do it.  He's been through enough.  Did your guy have any better luck with the name I gave you?  I see ... I'll try and see what else I can find out from Harvey but don't hold your breath.  Whoever Mike Ross is, he's the key behind what's wrong with Harvey.  Find him and we might have a chance to bring him back."

* * *

Harvey listened to Donna talk to Jessica from the deck.  Even over the surf he could make out the gist and fought down a flare of annoyance.  He knew they meant well.  Unfortunately, Harvey barely understood himself what had happened on that island, how could they hope to shed any clarity on it?  He'd fallen in love with a man who'd stood naked on his deck and made him lunch.  Well, maybe love was too mild a word for the emotion he knew existed within him for Mike.  Harvey sipped his liquor and idly wondered if every poet who'd ever lived had a Mike in their past somewhere.  Someone that had appeared, thrown a stone through the fragile stained glass of their souls and departed without a word, leaving the razor-sharp shards scattered on the ground.  He closed his eyes and let the sun drift over him.  Once upon a time he would have derided anyone weak enough to let a person get so deep into their heart they couldn't find a way out.  Now ... now he understood and he said a silent apology to them all.

"Harvey?"

He opened one eye to see Donna standing in front of him holding out a small package.  "A courier just dropped this off for you."

Harvey sat up and took the stiff manila packet.  He tore it open and dumped out the contents in his hand without a second thought, without even looking at the return address.  A folded piece of paper tumbled out but Harvey ignored it, his entire attention suddenly and irrevocably captured by the other object.  An intricately carved stingray that shimmered in the light revealing new patterns every time Harvey moved his hand.  The tough leather cord dangled between his fingers and it felt like all of the air had been sucked from his lungs.  He tried to talk, failed, cleared his throat and tried again.  It was a hoarse imitation of his usual firm voice.

"Who -- is he still here?"

Donna frowned.  "Who, the courier?  No, he left -- wait, Harvey!"

He was up and running. There was no way it could have been Mike -- Donna surely would have noticed something was amiss but he had to see, had to at least _look_.  Harvey tore open the front door to his beachfront home and tore down the drive, heedless that he was barefoot and only wearing a pair of shorts.  The street was empty.  Donna came up behind him and gently touched his arm, prompting Harvey to pull away.  The redhead pressed trembling fingers to her mouth.

"Harvey, _please_ let someone help you," she begged.

Harvey looked at her, his dark eyes full of something Donna couldn't understand.  He looked down at the pendant held tightly in his hand.  It glinted back at him.  Harvey turned and went back into the house.  He walked straight through to the walkway behind it and then down to the beach.  Harvey could barely hear Donna's footsteps behind him over his heartbeat.  He clutched the pendant to his chest as he stumbled across the sand.  Walking into the surf, Harvey screamed out the name he'd struggled so hard to push down and forget.

" _MIKE!!"_

The wave knocked him down before he even realized he was waist-deep in the water.  Salt-water rushed up his nose, choking him and Harvey floundered for a moment before finding his feet and screaming, _"MIKE!!"_

The water level seemed to swell around him and physically shove him toward the shore.  He fought it but in the end, Harvey let his body go limp.  The water deposited him on the sand, sobbing.  Donna, who'd watched the entire incident with growing disbelief, crouched beside Harvey and he slumped against her. 

" _Please don't leave me ..."_ Harvey whispered at the retreating tide.

* * *

Night fell and Donna ended the call to Jessica.  She felt physically drained.  Her employer had agreed with her -- Harvey needed professional help.  More than a mere therapist.  He needed to be somewhere that he could recover in peace and safety.  Neither of them said the word 'institution' but it slithered beneath the conversation, leaving a trail of insinuation behind.  For several long minutes, Donna simply sat on the edge of the guest bedroom.  Her hand pressed tightly over her eyes as she fought to not cry.  She was Donna and somehow, she would find a way to help Harvey.  Somehow she would protect him from himself and from the inevitable rumors this would create.  Although in his present state, Donna did not think Harvey cared what anyone thought of him.  That frightened her more than anything else -- Harvey was always hyper-vigilant about the way he presented himself.  He knew what every gesture and phrase meant whenever he interacted with others.  All of that was cast aside and Harvey was completely exposed.  It was unnerving.

Still.  She was Donna.  And Donna had been taking care of Harvey for a very long time.  With a deep breath and a pause to pat cool water over her face, Donna went into the master bedroom.  She looked down at the man curled on his side in the bed.  The light was on and she could see him staring at the strange pendant as he had been since she'd managed to convince him to leave the beach.  She sat on the edge of the mattress and smiled.

"Harvey?  You should eat.  Come downstairs with me."

Harvey said nothing and he did not move.  Donna shifted to smooth his thoroughly mussed hair when a crinkling sound caught her attention.  Donna frowned and reached into the pocket of her sundress.  There she found the folded piece of paper that had accompanied the pendant.  For the first time that evening, Harvey's eyes were looking at something other than the shell pendant.  Donna swallowed and started to hand it to Harvey but he shook his head minutely.  He looked absolutely petrified of what the mystery letter might say.

_"Read it to me?"_

Donna had to swallow again to clear the tightness in her throat at the barely audible voice.  She nodded and took a drink from the water bottle she'd brought Harvey hours ago.  Then, with a slight tremor to her hands, Donna unfolded the paper.  Her brow furrowed as she looked it over.

"It's ... this is the stationery from the rental property," Donna said.  "It's ..." She blinked and focused.  The writing was formal but what it said was confusing.  After a moment, she began to slowly read the text.

_Mister Specter,_

_My name is Roland and I am employed by the company that owns the property you rented recently.  I've been on this island for a long time and while not a native, I have come to understand that those raised in this part of the world know a good deal more than one would think about matters outside those explained by scientific minds.  I've also learned that perhaps it is best to listen even when belief is difficult.  As such, when your housekeeper approached me and asked that I help her write this missive, I did not hesitate because while my rational mind tells me it is nothing but fable, a deeper part of me is not so sure._

_I understand that you were joined by a young man during your visit.  It is this man your housekeeper insists I tell you about.  She claims that he is one of the moon's children and she knew that you were doomed the moment she saw him.  You see, while it isn't something that is spoken of because of the obvious detriment to the tourist trade, there are always people who come to the island and never return home.  Some decide to remain, as I did.  Others fall victim to accident.  Then there are those who simply are never seen again and the natives here have a belief that the children of the moon take them.  A man, a woman ... always beautiful and difficult to resist ... appears and another name is added to the missing._

_However, your young man did something only heard of in their oldest stories -- he gave you this token.  And then he let you return to your home and your people which, according to your housekeeper, means you were cherished and he could not take you against your will._

_As I mentioned before, Mr. Specter, I do not believe all the tales told by natives but neither do I discount them out of hand.  I have only this to add -- the property you rented has been very difficult to keep occupied since your departure.  Newcomers say that the night surf sounds like someone weeping._

_I wish you good health and all the best, Mr. Specter._


	8. Chapter 8

Harvey emerged from his bathroom and padded into the living room wearing jeans and a worn t-shirt. He slipped a cup into his coffee-maker and pressed the requisite button.  A soft throat clearing behind him made him smile.

“I’m _fine_ , Donna.”

“Considering you were ready to get on a plane with only your passport, I.D. and the clothes you were wearing – which consisted of only your boxers -- I strongly disagree with that statement, Harvey,” Donna sighed.

Harvey smiled. He turned around and leaned against the counter, legs crossed at his ankles.  He studied the fragrant drink a moment before he took the first sip and then slowly met Donna’s gaze.  She blinked at the fierce light in the familiar dark brown eyes.

“Donna … I know I haven’t been myself lately –“ He ignored the snort and the eye roll. “I know I’ve worried you and Jessica and I know … God, I know _none_ of this makes sense but I need you to believe me when I tell you that it’s going to be ok … that I’m really ok.”

“You’re right that none of this makes sense, Harvey,” Donna replied shaking her head. She set her cup down on the counter between them and perched on a bar stool.  “You were on the edge of what I can only assume was a major mental breakdown.  I was on the phone with Jessica making arrangements to have you involuntarily committed!”  Harvey opened his mouth in anger but Donna held up a finger to silence him.  He settled back but a deep frown appeared on his forehead.  “No, you don’t get to protest that, Harvey.  You may have felt that you could have recovered but from what I witnessed, you were absolutely _lost._ Now you tell me you want to go _back_ to this island and find Mike Ross because somehow you know he’s waiting for you?”  Donna pulled the letter from her pocket and looked at it again.  “’ _She claims that he is one of the moon's children and she knew that you were doomed the moment she saw him._ _’_ I don’t even know where to start – what the hell is a ‘moon-child’ and how were you ‘doomed’?”

Harvey bit down on his sharp retort. He’d barely managed to win this reprieve from Jessica having him committed.  If he started babbling about what he suspected, she’d have him locked up so fast his head would spin.  He struggled for words.

“Mike’s people … they worship the moon. They call her the Goddess,” Harvey held up his hand to stave off Donna’s immediate response.  “Don’t start – look, I know that before I would have probably laughed out loud if it wasn’t a client or potential client.”

“Probably?”

Harvey sighed. “Fine, I was an intolerant bastard.  But Mike … what he believes in … Donna, I felt it.” Harvey walked over to the large windows lining one wall of his home.  “I can feel Her now even though you can’t see the moon.”

Donna came to stand beside Harvey. “And I’m supposed to believe what … that when the moon is full, this Mike Ross person is going to what?  Walk out of the ocean?”

Harvey smiled and sipped his coffee. “Well, the moon doesn’t _have_ to be full _.”_

“Oh Harvey, you know you’re not making this easy for me,” Donna replied in a pained voice. “You look sane, you’re currently acting like the Harvey I know but this story …”

Harvey turned and walked to his living room and sat down on the sofa. He set his cup down and leaned back.  Donna sat down across from him.  Harvey pinched the bridge of his nose.

“I replay it in my head and I know it sounds insane, Donna. It doesn’t sound like _anything_ I’ve ever done before,” Harvey admitted.  He met her eyes.  “But you know me better than anyone – you know I trust my instincts.  I don’t know how to explain it but I trust Mike.  He might have started out doing whatever it is that his people do when they seduce mates but it became something different and I don’t think he expected that.  I think he fell for me just as hard as I fell for him.”

Donna shook her head. “Do you even hear yourself, Harvey?  ‘Seducing _mates_ ’?”

Harvey groaned. Suddenly he blurted out everything about Mike he’d noticed – all the clues that pointed to one thing that his mind hadn’t wanted to completely accept.

“His hands and feet are webbed – he says it’s a genetic condition in his family but they’re too symmetrical, like they’re supposed to be there. He’s got tattoos all down his back but hell, I’m not completely sure they _are_ tattoos.  He can hold his breath longer than anyone I know and this –“ Harvey slipped the pendant from his shirt.  “This is the token mentioned in the letter.”

Donna reached for it but Harvey pulled back quickly. She raised an eyebrow and Harvey shrugged.

“I don’t – I don’t want anyone else touching it. It’s mine.”

Donna pressed her lips tightly together. “Harvey, I’m trying but this is just nuts.  You’re describing what … the man from Atlantis?”

Harvey was suddenly on his knees before her, grasping both her hands. “Donna, _please_.  It’s crazy and if I go back out there and he’s not there … if he doesn’t want me anymore … or if I find out this was all some sort of long-con on Mike’s part, I swear I’ll come home and go see whatever doctor Jessica wants.  I’ll commit myself if that’s what it takes.  Hell, if Mike doesn’t – if this was all a mistake, then I’m probably going to _want_ to be committed.”  He ran his thumbs over her knuckles.  “Please let me do this, Donna.  Please – I have to _try_.  I can’t go on with this sword over my head.  The letter said people hear crying … it’s Mike.  Fuck all if I know how but I _know_ that’s Mike.  He needs me as much as I need him.  All this other stuff – I honestly don’t care – I love _him._ If it turns out he can breathe underwater –“ Harvey barked out a shaky laugh.  “Well, I guess I’m gonna have to find a place to live closer to the water.  I don’t fucking care – I just want Mike.”

Donna regarded him steadily for a moment and Harvey felt his lungs shrivel. “You’re not going alone, Harvey.”

The grin that Donna swore could charm the devil himself pulled up one side of Harvey’s mouth. His eyes sparkled with unabashed glee. “Of course not … how would you and Rachel like a Caribbean vacation?”

Donna rolled her eyes before narrowing them at Harvey along with a sternly pointed finger. “And if _my_ instincts tell me you are being played in any way, I will rain all manner of hell down on this Mike.  Do not doubt that I will.”

Harvey took Donna’s hands in his own and pressed a happy kiss to the soft knuckles. “I’m suitably warned and appropriately terrified for Mike.  I promise he’s not out to hurt me.  I’d bet my life on it.”

* * *

Mike drifted on a lazy wave just along the shore where he’d first met Harvey. When he’d initially fled, Mike had gone into the water with all intentions of returning to his remote home and never leaving it again.  The Goddess had shown him the other half of his heart but the depths between them were too great – Harvey could never survive leaving all he knew and Mike could never be away from his beloved waters for so long.  Mike would have tried – for Harvey, Mike knew he’d do just about anything.  But eventually he would have been drawn back to the ocean and Harvey would have been alone.  Better to hurt the man now and give him time to recover than link their souls and devastate him later. 

At least that had been his intent. He’d managed to make good headway back home but eventually, Mike knew he would find nothing but loneliness and pain there.  Pleading with the Goddess to release him, Mike had turned and gone back to the Caribbean shore.  It was lonely there too without others of his kind but he’d come to know joy and love in that place.  It felt fitting to call it home now because he knew he would never find another.

For months now, Mike and his shattered heart simply drifted. He hunted occasionally when the hunger pangs grew too sharp to ignore but felt no desire to do much more.  A small fever of rays stayed near him during the day, gently brushing against him trying to entice him to play and offering what little comfort they could.  Mike avoided the new tourists that rented the house where he’d made love with Harvey.  His grief was too raw at first and he sobbed it out to the Goddess at night unknowingly prompting occupants to complain.  When people were on the beach, Mike stayed far out and usually under the waves.  When the house was empty, he would sometimes come up on the sand and lie at the surf-line watching the moon in all her silver glory.  A particularly persistent tiger shark bothered Mike and the rays, seeing them as easy hunting but Mike dissuaded the beast with a few harsh blows along the sides and on the snout.  He could have easily gutted the creature with his hunting blade but Mike knew that taking a life, even in defense, was more than he could bear right now.  Still, sharks were notoriously unpredictable and it was best to give them a wide berth.

A storm was coming in and the rays were restless. Mike followed them to the calmer depths flanked by the fever.  Beneath the surface Mike’s tears were lost but he still ached desperately for the man he’d met on the deck that long-ago morning.  It had been easy to charm his way into the lawyer’s life but where Mike thought he was simply drawing a lover to himself, Harvey had proven a current he couldn’t break free from.  Mike let his hand slide along the back of one of the rays when something caught his attention.  From below, wind-churned waves were impossible to see through but Mike’s hearing was far more sensitive than a normal human’s.  He frowned and allowed himself to rise upward.  The sound came again – faint and familiar.  With a strong kick, he broke the surface and fell back.  His eyes were wide as he looked toward the beach.  The wind howled but it carried a voice to him.

_“Miiiiikkkkeeee!”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You're all wonderful and amazing. I love everyone still reading and commenting and kudo-ing. Your feedback keeps me going, critical or otherwise. I'm not an expert on the underwater world so anything here is from basic online research. I don't know if stingrays are playful or not but I think they would be if you lived in their world.


	9. Chapter 9

The wind sent stinging arrows of rain into Harvey's skin and drove sand past his clothes to coat his body.  The storm spread over the island like the shadow of a great shark.  Lightning threaded its way through the clouds overhead, each flash dazzling Harvey's eyes as he strained to see through the deluge.  Waves crowned with white swelled and dropped; infinite miniature mountains and valleys were created and destroyed in the raging tempest.  Harvey was blind to it all.  His feet carried him toward the water on a path that stumbled and weaved, completely at the mercy of the weather.  In his chest hammered Harvey's heart and it overrode the fury being unleashed all around him because just beyond the shoreline was a figure easily riding the swells.  Harvey felt the tug of the current as he staggered forward, his eyes stinging now with salt spray.  Floundering like a child learning to swim, Harvey sucked in a breath that was almost as much water as air and yelled,

_"MIIIIIKKKKKEEE!!!!"_

* * *

Donna and Rachel sat anxiously by the large stone fireplace listening to the gusts howl outside just below the booming thunder. Harvey and the property manager had ensured all the windows were securely shuttered and that the gas generator was filled in case the power went out.  By island standards, the storm wasn't supposed to do much more than make a mess.  By city-dweller standards, it was a veritable hurricane.  Harvey had paced the floor as the afternoon sky grew dark; his mind whirled with different search avenues he could take to find Mike.  He barely ate the light dinner Donna made and only vaguely participated in the two women's efforts at conversation.  Night fell and just as Donna had been ready to shake Harvey until his teeth rattled, he stilled.  Eyes wide, Harvey stood slowly and took a small step toward the back deck.

_"Mike . . ._ " he whispered.

Donna laid a perfectly manicured hand on her friend's arm.  Harvey blinked and looked at her.  Pupils blown wide, Harvey's expression told Donna that he was only clinging to his control by the most tremulous of grips.  Tears filled her eyes as she gently cupped Harvey's face.

"Are you sure?"

Harvey nodded with shining eyes.  "Please let me go."

Rachel moved to stand beside Donna, softly brushing her fingers against the redhead's shoulder as she moved past to embrace Harvey.  When she pulled back, tears freely slid down her face.

"Go find your heart, Harvey."

Harvey pressed a kiss against the young woman's forehead.  He smiled at both of them.  Never one to hesitate once his mind was made up, Harvey went to the doors leading outside and pulled them open.  He glanced back once to see Donna and Rachel hugging one another tightly.  It took a moment to swallow the lump in his throat as Harvey realized that they were holding one another back.  For a heartbeat, Harvey paused but then he felt the undeniable pull of his soul reaching out to its other half.  He quickly closed the doors, having to fight the wind to get them completely shut and the protective shutters back in place.

He walked off the deck, then broke into a run.  Mike was waiting. 

* * *

Mike gaped at the vision of Harvey splashing into the surf screaming his name.  For a moment he thought that perhaps his solitude had finally led him into madness but the voice that sang through the storm could only belong to one person - his heart and soul lunged for their other halves.  The Goddess had almost certainly stirred the heavens into this sudden tumult to test Mike and he was determined not to fail.  With a quick jack-knife dive, Mike went deep under the surface where he could move faster.  He could hear his lover's frantic efforts at swimming and doubled his efforts.  A smile crossed his lips -- he looked forward to teaching Harvey how to navigate the cool depths.  The lawyer was beautiful on land but Mike knew he would be magnificent once he learned how to move in the sea's embrace.

Momentarily lost in the image of sharing his world with Harvey, Mike didn't immediately realize the vibrations traveling through the water had changed.  Instead of simple clumsy splashing, the sounds were more chaotic, almost like Harvey was thrashing around.  Mike kicked harder toward his lover when suddenly he saw an all-too-familiar silhouette moving in a wide arc around a set of kicking legs.  The tiger shark circled its prey and Mike sucked in a harsh breath as he read the tension in the lean frame.  The creature was about to attack.

Mike had a long blade he kept strapped to his forearm whenever he was in the water and hidden whenever he walked among the Others.  It was a hunting necessity but Mike loathed using it to injure other creatures even in defense.  Blood in the water was a siren call to any number of predators who wouldn't discriminate between the wounded and those around it.  But Harvey's shouts had become desperate, frightened things.  No one on land would ever hear him over the wind but Mike could feel his lover's terror as he struggled to keep the shark in view. 

Mike dove deep, praying desperately to the Goddess to give him the speed he needed.  As he curved upward, coming up below the shark, the fever of rays sped past him in a blur.  They circled Harvey, confusing the shark with too much motion.  The tiger twitched away from the flailing man just as Mike gave one hard kick and slammed into its underbelly.  He gripped hard on the fins just behind the head and used his momentum to roll the beast on its back.  Less than a second later, the shark relaxed and began to drift, its biology sending it into an involuntary trance state.  Mike released it, knowing he only had minutes before the paralysis wore off and he found himself with a truly pissed off animal.   He turned to see about Harvey and his heart dropped like a stone.  Harvey was sinking into the darkness, his arms trailing over his head.  The rays bumped him in an effort to keep him from dropping too quickly but they didn't have the strength to buoy Harvey's dead weight.  Mike's distressed keen sang through the water as he surged forward and wrapped one arm around Harvey's torso while he kicked for the surface.  Together, they broke the surface and Mike cradled his lover against him as he made for the beach.  The storm winds had abated somewhat and now only rain pelted them when Mike felt sand beneath him.  He stood and carried Harvey across the beach to the deck of the rental house.  Mike turned Harvey to the side to help drain what water he could and then began to push on the man's chest.  He couldn't help but trill in distress, his instincts taking over.

_Please, Lady ... please don't take him ... please Goddess ..._

The rain was a steady beat against the deck boards.  Mike felt it running off his back, rinsing the salt and sand away.  When Harvey remained motionless, Mike stopped pumping.  He pressed the back of one hand against his mouth but he couldn't stop the raw scream that tore from his throat.  Rage rose within him and bubbled out as Mike howled at the sky.

_"No!  You can't have him!  Not yet!  You bitch, you've taken everything from me, you give me this!  Give him back!"_

A bolt of lightning split the sky followed by an earth-shattering blast of thunder.  Mike stood, his face turned defiantly to the dark clouds.  More lightning threaded the storm and the thunder was deafening.  The wind picked up and Mike felt the sand stinging against his skin.  Mike ignored it and went to sit beside Harvey's motionless form on the chaise.  He tenderly lifted one of Harvey's hands and pressed a soft kiss to the knuckles.  He pressed the cool skin against his cheek and looked up, his tears indistinguishable from the rain.

"Then take me too," Mike whispered.  "Because I won't be able to swim deep enough to escape the world if he isn't in it."

The wind fell to a strong breeze and the rain eased.  The clouds shifted, briefly allowing a slender finger of moonlight to brush over the pair.

Harvey surged upright and water spewed from his mouth.  Foam bubbled past his lips as Harvey fought to heave up all the water he'd swallowed.  Mike supported him, rubbing steady firm circles on his beloved's back.  A low moan escaped Harvey as yet another coughing fit wracked his body.

"I'm going to be very pissed if I died and it still hurts this much," Harvey croaked.

Mike pressed a gentle kiss against Harvey's temple but said nothing.  The spasms began to ease and Harvey gradually drew in longer and longer breaths.  When he was certain he could take in air without expelling a lung, Harvey turned to look at Mike.  The blue eyes were luminous and shimmering like the sun dancing on a pool.  Harvey pressed trembling fingertips against the tan skin.

"You stayed," Harvey murmured.

"You came back," Mike replied.

The kiss was desperate, born of a need to confirm that what they held before them was real and true.  Harvey felt like his entire existence had narrowed down to this singular moment with Mike and that nothing else in the world existed.  Mike knew he would have to beg the forgiveness of his Goddess but for this instant, he only wanted to taste Harvey and know that he'd finally found his soul's mate.  The kiss broke of its own accord and they rested for a moment, forehead to forehead.

"I love you."

The words slipped from them at the same time and they both laughed softly, afraid to disturb the moment.  A throat cleared near them, however, and they both jumped.  Donna stood at the doors leading onto the deck wearing a long rain coat.  Her arms were crossed and she had a distinct do-not-try-me look on her delicate features.

"Well, now that we've established mutual adoration, you both need to get inside.  Now.  Before I get annoyed."

Harvey nuzzled against Mike's ear.  "Better do what she says," he murmured.  "You do not want her annoyed.  Trust me."

* * *

Once inside, Harvey helped reset the shutters and doors before heading upstairs with Mike in tow.  He paused to press a kiss to Donna's cheek.  She gave him a narrow look.  "I'll answer everything I can, I promise.  Just give me time to clean up and find something for Mike to wear, ok?"

Mike tugged at Harvey's clothes the minute the door closed behind them in the mater bedroom.  Harvey sighed and melted into the warm body.  He pulled Mike against him by his slender hips and was rewarded with a soft moan as their mutual erections brushed against one another.  They kissed, slow and gentle.  Harvey let his hands move up the muscled expanse of Mike's back before he met the young man's gaze. 

"I'm here, Mike.  I'm not leaving again."

Mike's eyes gleamed wetly.  "I love you, Harvey.  I'll do anything ... go with you, if you want?"

Harvey ran a thumb over Mike's cheek.  "Mike, you can't live in my world -- you wouldn't be happy there and I wouldn't be happy knowing I'd taken you from the ocean."

Mike shook his head.  "I don't have anyone left ... my family is gone.  You still have friends ... family ... I couldn't ask you to leave all that.  All that you know."

Harvey gave a wan smile.  "Looks like we've got a real dilemma on our hands, don't we?"  His voice was watery and hushed.  He didn't want to face their challenges just yet.  Not when they'd only just found one another again.

Mike nodded sadly but he framed Harvey's face between his webbed palms.  "I'll do whatever it takes, Harvey.  I just want to be with you."

"And I want to be with you," Harvey replied, pressing a kiss to Mike's palm. 

With that, he began to undress.  Mike's wandering hands were slapped away and he chuckled at the annoyed pout.  "Enough time for that later -- we don't want to keep the girls waiting.  It'll be hard enough to convince them as it is."

"Convince them?" Mike asked as they moved into the bathroom.

"Convince them to let me go," Harvey murmured, pulling Mike against him and into a deep kiss. 

Mike's hands slid up Harvey's chest and he pulled back when they encountered the pendant.  With a distressed sound, Mike moved to take it off but Harvey stopped him.  He closed his hand over Mike's and shook his head. 

"Mike ... it's alright.  I know."

Mike blinked at Harvey, his blue eyes growing moist.  "You -- you know what?"

"Your people ... you're like sirens, aren't you?  You draw people to you ... the Goddess draws us in?"  Harvey tightened his grip as Mike began to struggle.  "Easy ... easy, Mike!  That's why you left isn't it?  You didn't want to do that to me?"

Mike stopped struggling and looked at Harvey.  His eyes were wide  and miserable.  "The song ... it was too much for you.  I could feel it ... _see_ it breaking you.  The more you resisted, the more it would have harmed you."

"And now?"

Mike frowned and then brushed his fingertips over the stingray thoughtfully.  "It's ... different.  _You're_ different."  He looked at his lover.  "The Goddess ... she -- she's _chosen_ you."

Harvey smiled.  "I have no idea what that means, Mike but I'm glad."  He sighed and pressed his forehead against Mike's.  "And now we need to clean up and get you some clothes.  Donna is not a patient woman."

"She makes me nervous, Harvey," Mike muttered as they stepped into the shower.  "She reminds me of the Goddess."

Harvey laughed.  "I'm pretty damn sure they're related."


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd hoped to take this chapter a little farther, but the next one will have Mike revealing his backstory. If Donna doesn't frighten him back into the ocean ...

The rain had subsided to a light patter on the roof by the time Harvey led his restored lover downstairs to the main common room.  Mike's lean legs were clad only in an old pair of Harvey's jeans.  For himself, Harvey had opted for loose shorts and a wash-faded Harvard tee.  When he'd packed for this trip, nothing but cotton and denim made it into the duffel.  His shined shoes were left behind in favor of simple trainers.  Donna and Rachel's silent shared looks and mournful expressions had tested his patience during the flight.  Let them believe what they would, not even the thrill of a hard-won court case could equal this new rush of vindicated faith.

Harvey grunted when Mike pulled up short.  The wind, which screeched like an enraged wraith at the storm's peak, now gently rattled the shutters over the doors leading to the beach.  Harvey looked back to see Mike's face drained of all color.  The bare torso trembled minutely.  Wide, fearful blue eyes turned to Harvey.

"Harvey ... She gave you back to me but I -- oh gods -- I _cursed_ at Her," Mike wheezed past vocal cords grown rigid.  He chewed mercilessly on his lower lip.

A vision of Mike disappearing into the dark water flashed through Harvey's mind and he tightened his grip on the webbed fingers.  "Mike, babe ... easy."  It was like watching his own panic attack so long ago.  "Breathe for me, kid.  Breathe."  Mike sucked in several hissing gasps and when he continued to tremble, Harvey pulled Mike's hand toward him and pressed it over the pendant that rested against the jersey material on his chest.  "Hey ... stay with me, sweetheart.  Please?"  Mike blinked glazed eyes at Harvey but then looked down at the hands that covered the stingray carving.  Harvey pressed down harder and growled, "Mine."

Eyes the color of a storm's heart snapped upward.  Leaden numbness began in his feet and rose to his waist until he was frozen in place.  Harvey tried to lift a leg regardless because it would be a cold day in any Hell that he simply _accepted_ his circumstances.  A knowing smirk curled Mike's lips upward when Harvey's best effort yielded not even a muscle twitch below the hips.  Mike shifted long fingers under Harvey's hand to clutch the pendant tighter.  A muscled thigh slotted itself between Harvey's and Mike's grin grew predatory as the other man's eyes fluttered shut and he swallowed a groan. 

Harvey barely managed to catch himself when mobility returned without warning.  His balance wobbled and he scrambled to hold onto Mike for stability.  It brought them together along the entire length of their torsos and Harvey vaguely realized that he fit against Mike like a perfectly cut jigsaw piece.  They were close enough that each hot breath was shared.

"Mine," Mike exhaled into Harvey's mouth.

Mike's tongue followed the word and lazily swept into Harvey's mouth.  It mapped the terrain with the sureness of a previous visitor who finds a recurring thrill in even familiar landmarks.  When it paused and stroked along the underside of Harvey's, the older man took the invitation to conduct his own detailed survey.  His hands slid up Mike's spine to his shoulder blades.  Harvey pressed his lover closer and Mike looped his arms around Harvey's shoulders to accommodate.  The pendant remained sandwiched between them and warmth bled into their skin.  Mike's tremors had long since ceased and a vague tension Harvey hadn't even really noticed eased deep in his gut.  They sank deeper into the kiss and everything that had occurred that night slipped into a fog at the edge of their awareness. 

The comfortable haze was blown away by a throat cleared with icy sharpness.  The sound was loud enough to demand attention yet it still took Harvey a long two minutes to disengage himself from Mike's lips.  He blew out a shaky laugh and glanced over his shoulder.  Shapely and attractive even in shimmering gray pajamas and oversized powder pink slippers, Donna leaned against a wall with arms crossed in front of her.  Harvey was momentarily transfixed by the sight of long, perfectly manicured nails going up and down in a rhythmic tap on one arm. Mike peered over Harvey's shoulder and then pressed his nose against the other man's ear.

"You were joking earlier, right, Harvey?" Mike murmured. "She's not _really_ \--"

Harvey shifted to face Donna, his arm secured around Mike's waist.  He brushed a reassuring kiss over the tan cheek.  "No but if your Goddess needs an Earthly enforcer?  I'd recommend Donna for the job."

Mike made an aborted snort.  He ducked his head.  "You shouldn't tease about things like that, Harvey.  She ... She has a strange sense of humor."

"Alright, enough," Donna said with a roll of her eyes.  "Rachel made sandwiches and I've waited long enough for some sort of an explanation.  Into the living room.  _Now."_

* * *

 Harvey gratefully surveyed the small spread laid out on a low coffee table between two small sofas.  Sandwiches on one platter, a bowl of chips and a stainless steel bucket filled with ice and sodas.  Harvey quickly took a sandwich and a handful of chips.  A low moan escaped him as the flavor of spicy smoked herring mixed with rich cream cheese burst over his tongue.  Initially, Harvey refused to eat anything called 'fish paste' but Rachel was a foodie in every sense and she had introduced him to the more gourmet side of things.  Now he loved the stuff and even had a can or two in his pantry in New York.

Harvey offered his sandwich to Mike for a bite which the younger man took.  He hummed approval and reached for his own.  The room went very quiet.  Mike and Harvey looked up into twin expressions of astonishment that bordered on total disbelief.

Harvey wiped his mouth and cocked an eyebrow.  "Um, ladies?"

Rachel blinked.  "Did you just -- did you just let him take a bite of _your_ sandwich?"

Harvey examined the bread and spread concoction with a confused frown.  "Yes?  Why?"

Donna gave a short laugh and opened a soda can, careful of her perfect nails.  "Well for starters, in all the years I've worked for you, Harvey, you have _never_ shared your food."

"You're exaggerating," Harvey dismissed and took another bite.

Rachel chuckled.  "Hardly!"  She looked at Mike.  "Donna took a chip off his plate one day and he slapped her hand!  Left a red mark and everything."

Mike regarded the man beside him with amusement.  Harvey shrugged.  "It was _my_ lunch."  He then proceeded to hand feed Mike a potato chip.  "And maybe I've changed," he added.

Donna rolled her eyes.  She tucked her legs beneath her on the sofa and sighed.  "Well then," the redhead said softly.  "Perhaps it's time the miracle worker at your side told us the truth about who he is ... and where exactly he's from."


End file.
